Fed Governor Advocates for Stablecoins as Key to US Payment Innovation

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller positioned stablecoins as the next evolution in America's payments landscape during his Sibos 2025 keynote. The central bank is actively researching tokenization, smart contracts, and AI applications for payment systems, signaling institutional openness to blockchain infrastructure upgrades.

Waller framed stablecoins as a natural progression of financial choice, comparing their potential adoption to historical shifts toward bank accounts, card networks, and fintech solutions. "These digital assets represent a new FORM of private money," he stated, emphasizing their compatibility with existing systems when paired with proper safeguards.

The Fed's hands-on experimentation with payment technologies suggests growing institutional recognition of crypto's infrastructure potential. Waller's remarks notably avoided stablecoin-specific regulations, instead highlighting their role in maintaining US competitiveness through payment diversity.